No heat from dryer, drum still goes round but no heat

It's most likely the magnetron. These can be replaced but it is a tricky home repair and needs precautions against residual high voltage on the capacitor. Replacement magnetrons are usually quite expensive, so it may be time for a new oven.

The heater section is located behind the drum and consists of resistance wire coils suspended in ceramic insulators. The heater section provides the heat to dry your clothes. The GE/Hotpoint dryer has two coils; one for low heat and both for high heat. If your dryer's performance is unimpressive in the high heat settings it may have lost one set of coils and if you get no heat, you may have lost them both!
Procedures for Gathering Confirming Data

1. Disconnect the power cord and move the dryer far enough away from the wall that you can tip the top up and it will stay there.
2. There are screws holding the top of dryer down. Use a Torx #15 screwdriver to remove the screws. Lift the top up and swing it back against the wall or whatever is behind the dryer.
3. Verify again that the power cord is unplugged.
4. Examine the high limit thermostat on the top of the heater shroud behind the drum. Check for continuity through this thermostat. Go to the thermostat section for further fault verification and replacement information.
5. Locate the 3 insulated studs and check for continuity between them. Put your ohmmeter in the lowest resistance range and measure the resistance between the three heater element terminals. If you read 18 to 20 ohms, the heater element is OK. If your meter doesn't move, the coils may be broken and you need to proceed on to their replacement. If you don't have an ohmmeter proceed on to the replacement procedure where you will remove the drum and you can examine the coils for broken heater wires.

Tools Required

• An ohmmeter would be nice but is optional
• 5/16 inch nut driver
• No. 15 Torx screw driver
• Wire cutters are handy for getting the old coils off and needle nosed pliers are handy for getting the new coil wires on the terminals

Parts Required

• GE dryer element WE11X260 coil kit. I recommend replacing both coils even if only one is open.

Procedures for Replacing the Heater Coils

1. If you have skipped the data gathering steps above, unplug the dryer, disconnect the dryer vent and pull the dryer far enough away from the wall to get behind it.
2. Use a 5/16 inch nut driver to remove about 10 sheet metal screws from the rear access panel. Remove the panel and slide it down the power cord to get it out of the way.
3. Make a little drawing of how the belt is routed around the idler pulley and the motor pulley. Reach in and relieve the tension on the belt by moving the idler pulley away from the belt. Slip the belt off the motor pulley and idler pulley.
4. Locate the metal plate on the back of the dryer behind the drum. Use a 5/16 inch nut driver to remove the screws and then the panel.
5. Use a small screw driver to pry the e-clip off the end of the drum shaft. Keep a finger on this e-clip as you ease it out or it will fly away and you will have to hunt for it. Carefully remove the three washers on the end of the shaft. The drum is now free to slide out of the rear bearing.
6. Use a 5/16 inch nutdriver to remove the two screws inside the cabinet, near the top on either side that hold the front of the cabinet on.
7. Lift the front off the two screws down at the bottom and swing the front around to the right without disconnecting any wires and lean it up against the side of the cabinet.
8. Grip the drum with one hand at the rear and the other hand at the front. Be careful not to cut yourself on the razor sharp edges on the porcelain coated drum. Pull the drum forward to clear the rear bearings and then lift it up and out. Leave the belt on it and set it aside.
9. (Figure 1) Now you have a good view of the heater shroud and coils. It will be easy to locate the breaks in the coils.
10. Remove the broken coils. This task is made easier by cutting up the old coils into several pieces and carefully pulling them through the standoff insulators. Be gentle with the insulators as they are fragile.
11. If these were original coils, the ends of the coils will be welded to the terminal bolts. Cut the wires off and remove the old terminal bolts by loosening the outer nut and disassembling the insulators. If the old terminals have the wires sandwiched between two nuts, loosen the nut on the end of the terminal. Again, be careful not to put too much torque on the nuts or you will break the insulators. Remove the remaining old wires.
12. Prepare the coils for restringing by stretching them to specific lengths. Stretch the inside coil to 42 1/2 inches and the outer coil to 49 1/2 inches. These lengths are for a relaxed coil. It is better to have the coils too short than too long. If you stretch them too far, the coils will sag down and touch the metal heater shroud and burn up.
13. Install the new terminal bolts through the insulators. Be careful not to break an insulator. You can't safely install the terminals with broken insulators and another trip down to the parts store to get new ones will slow down your repair a bunch.
14. (Figure 2) Start threading the new coils through the insulators on the side opposite the terminals and work in both directions toward the terminals.
15. (Figure 3) Note that both coils are connected to the top terminal and the other two ends are connected to the remaining two terminals.
16. Use a needle nose pliers to wind the wires around the terminals between two washers and nuts.
17. Slide the drum into its rear bearing
18. Replace the three washers and the e-clip on the drum shaft in back of the dryer. Replace the bearing cover plate.
19. Loop the belt behind the idler pulley, pull it back and then loop the belt around the motor pulley.
20. Replace the rear panel and the dryer vent.
21. Swing the front panel around and position it on the two lower screws. Use a 5/16 inch nut driver to replace the two sheet metal screws at the top.
22. Lower the top and secure it with the 4 Torx screws.
23. Plug in the power cord and check for proper operation.

Your dryer may have broken its belt, or the motor may have died.
A broken belt is "easy" to fix (if you've done a few), and not too expensive (if you do it yourself).
Replacing a motor is a little more involved (the drum has to be removed), and very expensive when
doing it yourself, and if you're not going to replace the motor yourself, it may be more cost-effective to replace the appliance rather than pay a technician to replace the motor.
A major appliance (dryer/washer) should last 10-11 years.

Hi, If you are having problems with your gas dryer not heatingthe most common problem is that the ignitor goes bad. Even though it glowssometimes it is still not working properly. if you dryer is gas check out this gas no heat tip.... If you have an electric dryer, you can have many differentthings that can go wrong causing the dryer not to heat. check outthis electric no heat tip...

heatman101

If you look where the tensioner is and release the locking bolt, put the belt on and retension it whilst tightening up the locking bolts.
A similar system to the altenator and fan belt on a car engine.

Hi,

If you are having problems with your gas dryer not heating the most common problem is that the ignitor goes bad. Even though it glows sometimes it is still not working properly.

if you dryer is gas check out this gas no heat tip....

If you have an electric dryer, you can have many different things that can go wrong causing the dryer not to heat.

check out this electric no heat tip...

heatman101
,...............

Hi,

Here is a tip that will help you to figure out what is wrong with your Microwave Oven....

Basic Microwave Oven Troubleshooting Tips

heatman101

try checking the door switches. they can get just loose enough to not make good contact. the door may be sagging just a fraction.
good luck

Good Morning,
Check the unit for a blown fuse, if the fuse is good its the Magnatron Tube. Hope this helps and thank you for using FixYa!